Application Story: Five Star Gourmet Foods

CEIA metal detectors pass the Five Star test!

One of the West Coast's premier frozen food manufacturing companies, Five Star Gourmet Foods, produces and co-packs so many different food products it could fill a restaurant menu:

Frozen entrees, pizza products, custom sauces and marinades, handheld snack foods, savory stuffed pockets, and frozen sandwiches are just a few of its products produced and private labeled for many retailers nationwide.

All this variety seemed to make reliable metal detection impossible. "We tested several top brands of metal detectors and all failed to deliver the consistent level of security we demand," complained Q.A. Manager Marissa Myat. "We inspect fresh and frozen products. The temperature differences and the multitude of product conditions overwhelmed every metal detector we tested."

Finally, Five Star Gourmet decided to try the new CEIA THS 21 detector. "Our line operators decided to give it the torture test," recalls Myat. "We mixed different types of fresh and frozen product in the same run to quickly expose any shortcomings. To our surprise, the CEIA detector
passed every test! Its performance really exceeded our expectations."

Five Star Gourmet now runs all its products through two CEIA detectors and is ordering a third. "Speeds range from 150 to 450 items per minute per line, and each metal detector runs a minimum of 14-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week," explains Tal Shoshan, C.E.O. "With a very high volume of products, downtime is not an option and food safety is non-negotiable."

The state of the art USDA-inspected facility in Ontario, CA manufactures and co-packs food products that are distributed to restaurant chains, clubs, retail chains, airlines, schools, and foodservice distributors. Started in 1999, Five Star Gourmet Foods employs 146 full and part-time employees and also offers product
development and custom formulation. "We care about our clients and we care about the products we produce," explains Shoshan.

"Our business has been built on quality and food safety, and that's why the CEIA detectors are an integral part of our company. Heat and Control's installation, start-up, operator training, and post-sale support have also been very good."

"With the CEIA metal detectors, our security
and comfort levels are extremely high. Their
data reporting features are very important to us
and the detectors are simple to operate and have
been completely trouble-free," says Shoshan.
"CEIA has been a fantastic system for our
company and our customers." More Info